Why You Should Have an ABRA Member Build Your Next Rod by: William Elder (Ireland/ Colorado)

The growing ABRA membership list is comprised of many of the top bamboo artisans and suppliers in the world. This select group has chosen to further distinguish themselves from other rod builders by showing a commitment to publicly educating fly fishers about quality bamboo rods. They have been willing to put their hard earned money to work to help inform and protect us, the consumer. It is this care and devotion to sharing the magic of bamboo that firmly places ABRA members in a class of their own.

I own rods created by three ABRA members. Each rod is a work of art that came from a process of communicating with, and learning from, the rod builder. If you buy a cheap poorly built rod you will never know the beauty of balance, form and function that comes from a hand built bamboo rod.  Members of ABRA have a long history of building and appreciating quality bamboo rods. They know how to make the process of choosing a rod one of discovery and enjoyment. After all, a quality bamboo rod is a lifetime purchase.

Contrast this ABRA commitment to your needs with trying to buy an inexpensive rod, a used rod online or a rod redone by someone you don’t know.  The new cheap rod may look appealing but hiding in its depths are often poorly fitted ferrules supported by blobs of filler glue. Sadly, once too much bamboo is missing under the ferrule little can be done that doesn’t affect the taper and hence the all-important action. An ABRA member knows how to properly fit ferrules for longevity and for proper transfer of the rods action from section to section.  ABRA bamboo rod tapers are designed to thousands of an inch and take painstaking hours to ensure the taper is correct. Something shoved through a mass production milling machine that may have dull blades or just as bad, sharp blades with inconsistent quality bamboo can only lead to a taper that is a disaster.

Sure you could get lucky and find a nice rod online. It happens every day. However, you could also buy an auction rod that has loose ferrules, suspect refinishing work, mismatched tips, is assembled from two or more broken rods, suffers from short sections and a whole plethora of other problems. I will admit that I’ve bought a few of these rods even though they were described as perfect. I have asked all the right questions and examined superb looking pictures and still problem rods have arrived in the mail. The bargain rod with hidden problems quickly becomes a nightmare to sort out.

Perhaps one of the most disappointing bamboo experiences is with the unsavory seller who has cut down an older cheap long rod into a new more desirable shorter length. A fresh coat of varnish is slapped on and then it is christened as a small stream special or some other meaningless name. Trust me, there is nothing special about these rods other than the amount of money you have just lost on something that more aptly should be called the Frankenstein Special.  This is no way to start out with a lifetime purchase.

Your ABRA experience has none of these disappointments. Your rod is made to the highest quality standards using time tested components that are designed for the rigors of fishing. Key makers of the very best fly rod fittings and components support ABRA. There is a simple reason for this: they know ABRA members are dedicated craftsman who properly use their components. On an ABRA rod, your cane has been hand selected and matched for the size and action of rod you choose. Many ABRA members have treasured troves of the highest quality Tonkin cane bamboo. Even the quality of the cork rings used to make your rod matters a great deal to the rod builder.

Your ABRA member wants you to be thrilled with your purchase. Bamboo is material that when properly crafted makes for the finest rods in the world. There are many examples of quality bamboo rods rising significantly in value over the years. But much more important is that few experiences in the fishing world can compare to a day spent on the stream with rising trout taking flies cast with a fine bamboo rod.  The rhythm of life flows through a bamboo rod. It wasn’t made by some synthetic chemical. Just like a great section of beautiful wood, bamboo’s strength was built a day at a time from sun, wind and water.   

Sure, we all have graphite rods in our arsenal and they are for the most part worthy tools.  Some are even exceptional. But next time you add a new rod, consider the elegant choice. Bamboo will connect you with the golden era of fly fishing.  In today’s fast action world, a fine bamboo rod allows you ease your pace, to relax and enjoy each cast. As you spend time getting to know a bamboo rod, you create a bond and an understanding. A quality bamboo rod becomes even more treasured over the years as you find yourself instinctively reaching for it time after time.

So as you leave this little ode to bamboo behind and head back to your life, the best wish I can send to you is that of good health. The next best wish is that you use those years of good health with bamboo rod in hand on your favorite water.